Bollywood’s Top Personalities Touched by Qissa

NFDC’s internationally acclaimed film, Qissa, was screened for friends from the film fraternity last evening. Present at the event were eminent film personalities like Waheeda Rehman, Shabana Azmi, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Anand Gandhi, Ashim Ahluwalia, Goldie Behl and Swara Bhaskar, all of whom were excited to see the critically acclaimed movie.

The evening progressed as the big names of the industry mingled around with the cast and clicked pictures with them. They also posed with the poster of Qissa on the red carpet. The movie that has been doing phenomenally well at all film festivals, in India as well as abroad, was clearly the talk of the fraternity. Waheeda Rehman, one of India’s iconic leading ladies had praiseworthy words to say about the film. “It’s a very beautifully made movie and everybody’s performance is absolutely great. In the beginning, oh my God, something happens in your stomach, churning like, it holds you”, she said.

“I am speechless. I think this is one of the films where you really feel the power of cinema and art because it precisely just renders you sort of speechless and you take so much away with you. Tremendous performances by everyone, of course Irrfan Sir and Tisca Ma’am, but I think that Tillotama and Rasika have outdone themselves and definitely it’s also the script that gives actors opportunities so it’s really the kind of script and film that actors would be really lucky to be a part of. I think it’s tremendous and definitely people should watch it,” said the talented Swara Bhaskar.

With all the good reviews Qissa has garnered, we can’t wait to go watch it ourselves!

The husband and wife duo had actively promoted Anand Gandhi’s critically acclaimed film Ship Of Theseus

Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao support yet another filmmaker after the makers of Ship of Theseus. This time around, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao, connoisseurs of good cinema, are organizing a special viewing of a documentary – After my Garden Grows.

The director of the documentary, Megan Mylan is an Oscar winning filmmaker for the documentary Smile Pinky. Kiran has organized for this special viewing of her recent documentary; After My Garden Grows on 15th November at her residence followed by dinner. She has seen the documentary and has loved it.

Kiran wants more and more people to be aware of such cinema in the industry and support it in whatever way they can. Hence, Aamir and Kiran will be organizing this special screening and dinner for all their friends in the industry.

The actors has been roped in for a full-length feature film

When Anand Gandhi first met Hugo Weaving at the Melbourne International Film Festival he was spell-bound by the actor’s intellect. While the two discussed the possibility of coming together for a film someday, nothing materialised.

But now we have concrete information that the Ship of Theseus director has convinced the Lord of The Rings actor to feature in his second film. Anand confirmed the report saying, “Yes, I spoke to Hugo recently and gave him a lengthy narration of a character I’ve written with him in mind and a brief of the script that I’m still in the process of developing. He loved the idea and has given me the go-ahead.”

Now we don’t know if Anand’s second would be like his first philosophical venture but we sure can expect a thought-provoking plot from him!

The filmmaker co-produced, edited and aided in the music department for Rajkummar Rao’s film, but couldn’t direct the film. We wonder why…

Anurag Kashyap co-produced Queen and was involved in its editing, but the filmmaker has no qualms in saying that he couldn’t have made an entertainer like it is. For every filmmaker, he says, a certain conviction is necessary towards the project they take up.

Explaining his stance about making movies which reach out to an entire gamut of audience, he said, “We all try to do that. There is not a single filmmaker who does not want to reach out to the entire audience. “Even Anand Gandhi (of Ship Of Theseus fame) wants to reach out to the entire audience. But we cannot do something that we have no conviction in. I might like some films, but I cannot make them. “Like, I edited Queen and loved it, but I couldn’t have made it.”

Directed by Vikas Bahl, Queen features Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao, and it turned out to be a hit.

Anand Gandhi’s Ship Of Theseus has been adjudged as the best feature film for the 61st National Film Awards, while Hansal Mehta has been named for best direction for the movie Shahid. The winners were announced today.

Ship Of Theseus is t he story about an unusual photographer, an erudite Jain monk and a young stock broker told through different segments which finally unite them through a strange circumstance.

According to the jury, the film “depicts issues of intuitive brilliance, metaphysical belief and intricate morality in a world full of contradictions”.

Shahid, starring Rajkummar Rao as the real life slain human rights activist and lawyer Shahid Azmi in the backdrop of communal violence unleashed in Mumbai, tells the story of an impoverished Muslim struggling to come to terms with injustice, inequality and rise above his circumstances.

“It is an inspiring testament to the human spirit,” according to the jury members. Hansal Mehta‘s direction in the “remarkably handled” film Shahid has been lauded.

National Film Award is the most prestigious film award in India and every film personality wants to win it at some or the other point in their filmy careers. The 61st national Film Awards is being handed out by the Directorate of Film Festivals today and people across the country and awaiting the results. So, which Bollywood film or actor do you think should have had won the award? Here is the full list of winners:

National Awards Best Non Feature Film: Kamal Swaroop for Rangbhoomi

National Awards Best Film on Social issues: Gulabi Gang

Special Jury mention for Anjali Patil, child actor Chandana Roy.

National Awards for Best Hindi Film: Jolly LLB

National Awards Best English Film: The Coffinmaker

National Awards Bengali Film is bagged by Jatishwar for its soulful music

National Film Award is the most prestigious film award in India and every film personality wants to win it at some or the other point in their filmy careers. The 61st national Film Awards is being handed out by the Directorate of Film Festivals today and people across the country and awaiting the results. So, which Bollywood film or actor do you think should have had won the award? Here is the full list of winners:

NationalAwards Best Non Feature Film: Kamal Swaroop for Rangbhoomi

NationalAwards Best Film on Social issues: Gulabi Gang

Special Jury mention for Anjali Patil, child actor Chandana Roy.

National Awards for Best Hindi Film: Jolly LLB

National Awards Best English Film: The Coffinmaker

National Awards Bengali Film is bagged by Jatishwar for its soulful music

The talented filmmaker is ready with his next project and going by the title wethinks this one will be interesting too

Recyclewala Labs, the makers of critically acclaimed and successful independent film Ship of Theseus, have announced the title of their new documentary as Proposition for a Revolution. The film’s poster was also unveiled Monday along with the title.

Anand Gandhi, who directed Ship of Theseus, heads Recyclewala Labs, an offshoot of his production house Recyclewala Films.

“First poster for our new documentary feature Proposition for a Revolution. Directed by Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla, the film seeks active community participation,” posted Anand Gandhi on his Facebook page Monday.

The makers have sought for public funding to complete and release the documentary.

One is a commercial film and the other is a low budget documentary. One offers fiction, while the other is reality. But which film stands ahead in which department, and which film will run just on star power? You decide…

We were mighty impressed with Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Juhi Chawla after seeing the promos of Gulaab Gang. But after watching a clip of Nishtha Jain’s documentary Gulabi Gang, that has surely changed. We are upset, not because the promo was not good, but at the fact that the commercial movie seems fully copied from the documentary. But director Soumik Sen insists that his film, Gulaab Gang is definitely different from Nishtha Jain’s project. How? And will one win over the other? Both movies have ladies in pink seeking justice in various ways. Comparisons will happen. Find out…

First: Gulaab Gang has been produced by Anubhav Sinha and Abhinay Deo and thus, will be well funded. On the other hand, Gulabi Gang is self-financed by its director and thus, has been made on a shoestring budget. It is very recently that the documentary found promoters in Sohum Shah and Anand Gandhi; before that even its marketing efforts were minimal.

Second: Gulaab Gang, as the makers have said, is fiction. Thus, the characters portrayed by the two leading ladies are not real, though they may be based in fact. Gulabi Gang is a documentary and is sure to tell the story of real-life people in a realistic manner, warts and all. It will very likely not have actors re-enacting incidents, but will allow the real life stories to be told by those involved.

Third: By the look of it, Gulaab Gang is a copy of Gulabi Gang. The promos suggest that, but the makers of the Madhuri-Juhi film deny it. Sampat Pal Devi, the leader of the real Gulabi Gang, has said that she was neither asked about the facts, nor was her permission taken for using her story by the makers of the Bollywood movie. As a result, she plans to move the court to put a stay on the release. In contrast, the Gulabi Gang filmmaker shot with the real group in real locations and therefore, will have no apprehensions of legal tangles.

Fourth: Gulaab Gang releases a couple of weeks after Gulabi Gang, which might not work in favour of the fictional film. Audiences will have already seen the real deal and later on, may not feel connected to a story enacted by Madhuri and Juhi.

Fifth: Gulaab Gang is going to have a theatrical release in full Bollywood style. It is likely to be seen by people from across the globe, whereas Gulabi Gang is sure to see only a limited release, to be seen by either the multiplex audience or tech-savvy Internet-connected viewers.

After watching the spine chilling trailer of the documentary, we thought that the makers of the Bollywood version should at least give the real Gulabi Gang some credit. After all, it is because of these intrepid women that the commercialised story, which is sure to make some profits, was possible. The documentary is so realistic that it makes us question the wrongdoings in the villages. It provides a stark look at the real group’s struggle in a hugely male dominated world.

Now we leave it to you, BollywoodLifers – take your pick of which film you would watch. While the Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Juhi Chawla movie will be more palatable, Nishtha Jain’s documentary offers reality, showing Sampat Pal Devi’s very real battle against crime. Which film you choose? Vote!

The director hopes to bring a tide of change amongst the general public via his next film….

Director Anand Gandhi is riding high these days with all the critical acclaim that he has received for his debut film Ship of Theseus. It has been heard that one of his creative producers, Megha Ramaswamy of Recyclewala Labs, is going to direct an experimental film tentatively titled Newborns.

The film would focus on how the lives of acid attack survivors change after the incident. It would show real-life acid attack survivors from across the nation. Gandhi said that a movie with such people would definitely revive the memories of the heinous crimes but what he was trying to focus on, was the celebration of hope and life post the incident. Newborns will not be talking at all about their misfortunes.

Talking to a leading daily, Gandhi said that the movie can’t be categorized as a docudrama because many things has been added and the survivors would be enacting a part of them as well. The film is expected to hit the theaters by the second half of the year.

Gandhi concluded by saying that the inspiration for making the film was the lack of sympathy in the general public. Many people stand and witness such heinous crimes in progress, without protesting at all. He hopes that via this film, people’s attitude would change and they would come ahead and help. He has decided to start a campaign to the same effect called Spot of Shame.

Wethinks it is a noble deed taken up by the critically acclaimed director and we too, hope to see some change in the general public’s attitude. Hai na peeps?